A month ago, Swedish hardcore punk band, Refused, released their first single, “Elektra,” from their first album, Freedom, in 17 years. Today, the band continues the promotion with the release of another single. This time it’s “Françafrique,” and it’s probably about France and its colonization of Africa and the devastating aftermath.
Honestly, the track doesn’t do much in the way of “educating” the listener; it simply brings up an issue and hopes that you’ll take the initiative to look it up yourself. Musically, “Françafrique” feels pretty far removed from hardcore. Sure, there might be some punk elements here and there, but for the most part it sounds like The White Stripes with more instrumentation. The song also overstayed its welcome by about a minute and a half, which is too bad because the first half is pretty intense.
Go ahead, Yell at me in the comments section below.
Vocalist Dennis Lyxzén says:
[the songs were inspired by] talking about politics, existential issues and what we wanted to present as a band in 2015. We talked about the political situation in Europe, capitalism, and how it affects people.
Pre-orders for Freedom, including a limited-edition exclusive CD package that includes a 28-page hardbound book, exclusive artwork with gold foil stamping, and a double-sided poster are available at refusedstore.com.
Rock Hard \m/
